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Foggy mornings, misty streets and falling leaves could only mean one thing: Halloween. Even Captain Limelight will don a (different) cape and join in the mischief!

Everyone’s favorite evening of tricks and treats is nearly here. Tomorrow night children and adults will dress up. Some seek candy; others, a warm gathering of friends.

If you don’t like tricks, what about treats? There’s a bag of candy at home with your name on it. Crack it open and binge on your favorite horror movies all night with a friend. It’s OK if you have to watch with the lights on. We won’t tell.

Whether you’re handing out tricks or gathering treats, always be careful during your Halloween fun. Being safe while you’re out and about ensures a happy holiday. Besides, you never know what ghouls or goblins are out on Halloween causing mischief and mayhem…

It’s the first Friday of October; Halloween is merely weeks away. Christmas is in less than three months! You need to get cracking on your holiday shopping. Every year you procrastinate, and every year you wish you’d started early. Limelight Deals is here to help you start (and finish!) all your holiday shopping faster than you can say “trick-or-treat.” It can’t be done, you say? Read on and find some spectacular gift ideas.

Anytime you give the gift of relaxation, that’s a beautiful thing. If you have a sister, aunt or friend struggling with their hairstyle, they need the ultimate salon package – a color, weave or ombre with trim, deep conditioning and scalp massage. That sounds so good you might buy one for yourself, too!

Now that the recipient feels and looks gorgeous, the last thing they want to do is chores in and around the house. While we love fall, and all the falling leaves, we don’t love how they muck up the gutters. Don’t let that special person climb a rickety ladder on a chilly fall day all the way up to the roof. Let the professionals take care of everything with a full gutter cleaning.

Congratulations! You’re a true holiday hero. You’ve presented your friends and family with two amazing gifts and you did it all with a few simple clicks of a mouse. You saved time, money and worry by shopping smart. Maybe you’ll reward yourself with a piece or two of pre-Halloween candy?

Finally. Relief from the heat. But what’s this now? Are the temperatures creeping up again? Aren’t the leaves supposed to change colors, and dance and swirl across glistening streets?

Unseasonably warm weather has many people frustrated. Despite a few warm days popping up again, Limelight Deals thinks the weather is cooling down. Whether the weather wants to or not, it’s time to celebrate the advent of autumn. Pumpkin spice lattes, woolly sweaters and warm apple cider are on the horizon.

Autumn is much more than pumpkin spice flavoring, jack-o’-lanterns and festive parties. It’s gathering with family at the dinner table and reconnecting with friends. So grab your favorite cozy sweater – and an umbrella, just in case – and welcome autumn.

Sing the praises of the back to school season! It’s a time marked with buying school supplies, answering a million questions from the kids, and watching a flood of commercials about new school clothes. Fortunately, your DVR solves the third problem.

The other two are more difficult to solve. Checking the paper for when the sales and best deals are mitigates the cost of buying new school supplies. And if you’re a Limelight Deals shopper, then you’re already a savvy saver.

Answering questions about making new friends, or how hard a new math class will be, is probably the hardest obstacle. You had those same worries as a kid. You want to help. But the best thing you can do is just be there when your kids return home from school, listen to their stories and offer advice when appropriate.

Another solution which warms the heart and soul (and stomach!) is a hearty meal. Whether prepared at home or at your favorite neighborhood restaurant, a family meal melts away the day’s problems. Nobody feels stressed while eating a gooey, cheesy bowl of macaroni or biting into a juicy burger.

Sharing a meal together unites the family through food and laughter. Stress usually follows back-to-school chaos. Alleviate the madness with a family outing.

Southern Oregon is in the middle of fire season. That means smoky days and eagerly watching the news broadcasts at night for updates on the fires. Cooler weather has brought some relief, which is especially good for the firefighters who work diligently around the clock to contain the blazes.

Unfortunately, being surrounded by wildfires blankets the valley in heavy smoke. You’re stuck inside during the peak of summer when you should be camping, hiking or biking. You can only spend so many days inside watching Netflix or cooking no-bake desserts before you run out of things to do. You need to get out and move! But what can you do outdoors with all the smoke hanging around?

Plenty! You just need to get creative. And Limelight Deals knows how to help with that.

If you’re restless from staying indoors the past few days, the kids are probably bored too. Why not take the family on a fun outing which also provides relief from the smoke? Experience live entertainment like never before at the Northwest Tall Tale Challenge, an event where local story tellers share their anecdotes in hopes of getting to the National Story Telling Festival in Tennessee. The competition benefits local seniors, so not only are you having fun, you’re supporting the local community!

Maybe you need some alone time after days of going from home to work, and then back home again with no stops in-between. Escape from the daily grind with a body polish and mini facial. 90 minutes of pure heaven. Floating on Cloud 9 has nothing on this mimosa champagne sugar scrub and facial. Leave behind life’s stresses and reinvigorate the body and soul.

It’s good to find ways to escape the smoke covering the valley. But also take a moment and remember the firefighters. They’re on the front lines every day, fighting and containing the blazes, to keep use safe.

We had two milestones this week: National Junk Food Day on the 21st and the start of the Jackson County Fair the day after. It’s no coincidence these events happened back-to-back. Everyone remembers their favorite junk food, especially at the fair.

Elephant ears, corn dogs, ice cream, hamburgers; the list goes on. If you can dream it, there’s probably a food stand that serves it fried. We at Limelight Deals suggest riding all the attractions before eating.

You must ride the roller coasters, Ferris wheel, and rides that swoosh, fly and spin. Or take a walk and enjoy the 4-H exhibits if your stomach isn’t ready for all those rides. Support our local youth as they compete. Besides, who doesn’t love looking at cute farm animals all day?

End the day with a show once you’ve seen all the exhibits. Jump up and sing along with live music. Don’t miss your favorite performer!

The fair comes around once a year. It’s the climax of a Southern Oregon summer and fun for the whole family.

Last week thunder, lightning and rain pounded the valley. This week it’s relatively calm. Blustery winds stir up leaves and partly cloudy skies keep us cool. At Limelight Deals we’re grateful for the nicer weather. Some of us aren’t the biggest fans of thunderstorms.

Now the question is: how do you plan for every possible weather scenario that could happen at any time? It’s a dilemma residents of Oregon know all too well. One day you’re wearing shorts and in a few hours cold rain pours down. You remember to bring an umbrella the next day only to awaken to sunny, 80 degree weather. Do you chance wearing shorts again? No, because the weather inevitably will change.

Hours later, still sunny. Sound familiar?

If you like to plan ahead, Southern Oregon’s weather doesn’t make that easy. But you can overcome the unpredictable weather, and here’s how.

Pack backup clothes. During summer have a pair of pants and light jacket in your car as a warmer option.

Always have an umbrella somewhere; at your desk or in your car.

A practical hairstyle. Sensible clothes help in weather emergencies, but so does your hair. Get a cute, fun style appropriate for all seasons.

Closed-toed shoes. Your feet are protected if there’s suddenly four inches of rain sloshing down the road.

Keep sunscreen nearby. This is a must-have whether it’s sunny or cloudy.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens don’t calm you during storms.

When the wind whips, thunder booms and lightning cracks across the sky, you need more than pleasant thoughts to take your mind off the outside calamity. Even (mostly) fearless Captain Limelight huddles inside his cape during thunderstorms.

Whether you have jittery pets, frightened kids or you’re scared, you need a plan for these tumultuous times. When the rain arrives with its best pals – thunder and lightning – the first thing is unplug all your electronics. Don’t take any chances of a power surge overloading the circuits. Close all the windows and doors; open the blinds if you want to watch the storm. Gather the family together, especially ones scared of storms.

Play a board game. Have an old half-built LEGO? Assemble it. Or rifle through the utility drawer for a deck of cards. Use candy as betting chips to add excitement to the game. Before you know it the storm passed and the weather returned to normal.

Playing games, talking and laughing provide a distraction from severe storms. Unplug from our 24/7 electronic world. Unite the family with fun games. Don’t fret when Southern Oregon throws a thunderstorm your way.

Each July 4th we celebrate our freedom and our country. We gather with family and friends and host picnics, barbeques, games and events. Fireworks light up the night sky; each spark punctuated with a crackle or boom.

We also remember those who serve our country and protect our freedoms. These brave men and women fight to keep the rights we fought for over 200 years ago. So while we watch the fireworks overhead, and feast on hot dogs and hamburgers, let’s take a moment to remember and thank our veterans for everything they’ve done and continue to do.

Limelight Deals loves green, but we’re red, white and blue through and through!

The only thing more American than baseball is a slice of apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream.

We’re well into summer and our local team, the Medford Rogues, have started their season. Summer is all about attending a home game with the family. Imagine this…

You approach the entrance gate and hear the announcer loud and clear. Fellow baseball-lovers are bustling around, visiting each stand and buying all their favorite concessions before the game starts.

The aroma of hot dogs, nachos and pizza entices your taste buds. Your stomach grumbles. You make a u-turn and stop at the nearest concession stand.

With food in hand, you take a seat just as the game starts. And you’re not disappointed. The Rogues are on fire! There were a couple close calls but the home team is holding their own.

It’s time for the seventh inning stretch, and boy, do you ever need to stretch. Leaning forward in anticipation of the next home run, jumping up to catch fly balls and doing the wave hurt your back and knees. Time to walk around while the announcer cracks jokes interjected with perfectly timed sound effects.

During your walk you see other folks taking their seventh inning stretch. A few are in line for a cold drink. Looking up, the sun is sitting high in the sky and small beads of sweat gather on your forehead. Was it always this hot? You join the others in line for a frosty, refreshing libation. Drink in hand, you return to your seat.

The sun has finally set and the last inning played. The Rogues win again!

…Now doesn’t that sound exciting? Spruce up your weekend plans with tickets to a home game. You can root, root, root for the Rogues!